Animal-trap



(No Model.)

J. T. MOXLEY.

ANIMAL TRAP.

No. 379,713. Patented Mar. 20. 1888.

INVENTOR jffiq?) WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Phulo-hlhcgnphur. Washmgion. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN TAYLOR MOXLEY,

OF OWOSSO, MICHIGAN.

ANI MAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,713, dated March 20, 1888.

Application filed August 25, 1887. Serial No. 247,870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN TAYLOR MoXLnY, of Owosso, in the county of Shiawassee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Animal-Trap, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a trap for catching mice, rats, or other animals, and has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character, which is effective to catch the animal and drop it out of sight, and which will automatically reset itself for the next animal.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the animal-trap, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional elevation of my improved animal-trap as adjusted over a water-holding vessel. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tip-board and trip-block and adjacent parts of the floor of the trap,and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. p

The trap consists, mainly, of a bottom board or floor, A, in which are pivoted a tip-board, B, and a trip-block, 0, provided with latch devices, presently explained, and over these parts B O is fitted an upper casing, D, which is open at one side or end for the animal to enter, and at the opposite end is provided with a pendent hook, E, on which the bait F is placed. I prefer to place the floor A on top of a vessel, G, holding water, 9, into which the captured mouse, rat, or other animal will fall, as will be clearly understood from Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The board and block B O are fitted into an opening, a, made in the trap-floor A, and the pivots b 0 of the parts B C are journaled in metal plates H, which range down the opposite sides of the opening a, and are secured to the fioor,preferably,by screws passed through outwardly-turned flanges hof the plates. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) The tip-board B is by preference made longer than the trip-block, and the outer end parts of both the board and block (N0 model.)

are counterweighted or made considerably heavier than their lighter adjacent ends, whereby both parts B G will normally assume level or horizontal positions, wherein the board B will be held by contact ofa shoulder, b, on it with ashoulder, a, of the floor A, and wherein the block 0 will be held by contact of a shoulder, 0, on it with a shoulder, a, of the floor A. Stop-pins b 0*, fitted, respectively, in the floor-slot a and in the upper casing, D, prevent swinging of the tip-board B and tripblock 0 beyond the vertical positions indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and thereby assure the automatic resetting of the parts B C after the captured animal has fallen through the floor-opening a.

The detent devices for the tip-board and trip-block B C consist of a latch, I, which is preferably fitted into a horizontally-ranging socket, 'i, made in the block B, and is held by a set-screw, J, allowing its outer end, which is held in proper position by a bearing, K, fixed to the under side of the block, to be adjusted so as to fit properly into a notch, Z, which is made in the side of the trip-block catch L, which is also preferably made of a piece of wire and is fitted into the under side of the trip-block.

It is obvious that as a mouse, rat, or other animal steps onto the heavy end of the tipboard B the latter will rest solidly on the stop-shoulder a, and when the animal steps in beyond the pivot 1) onto the light end of the tipboard said board will still remain firm and solid, so as not to excite suspicion of the animal, as the tip-board will then be held up level by the engagement of the latch I with the catch L on the trip-block; but the instant the animal touches the trip-block C, be it ever so lightly, said block will be turned on its pivot c, and the catch will be withdrawn or swung away from the latch, and both the trip-block and the tip-board will turn instantly on their pivots, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the animal must fall through the floor-openinga into the water in the vessel G, or into a dry pit should it be preferred to place the floor A over it. When the animal falls; the gravity of the heavy ends of the tip-board and trip-block will reset them instantly to normal latched positions,ready for the next animal, which will not be deterred from entering-the tray by seeing the previously-captured animal, which has dropped below the floor; and the bait remains intact. Should the trip-block G for any reason be slow in resuming its normal level position,it will be assisted to such position by contact of the tipboard latch I with the inclined face 0 at the lower side of the light end of the block.

As the animal in entering the trap must step on the heavy end of the tip-board B, this would effect the complete setting of the trap by engaging the latch and catch should they not be already engaged as the tip-board and tripblock swing to normal level positions.

This extremely sensitive and reliable trap may be used to capture all kinds of animals, and without bait will be effective to capture burglars when arranged at the entrances to banks or other institutions where valuables are stored.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in an animal-trap, of a floor having an opening and stop'shoulders the-reat, a tip-board pivoted in said opening and counterweighted at one end, alatch on the tip-board,atrip-blocl ,also pivoted in the flooropening and counterweighted at one end, and a catch in said block normally engaging the tip-board latch, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination, in an animal-trap, of a floor, A, open at a and provided with stopshoulders a a a tip-board, B, pivoted at b in the openingaand having a shoulder, 12, atripblock, 0, pivoted at c in the floor-opening and having a shoulder, c, a latch, I, held to the board B, and a catch, L, fixed to the block .0 and normally engaging the latch I, subitanliaially as described, for the purposes set ort wardthe closed end or side of the casing, and

provided with the latch I on its under side, and the counter-weight trip-block 0, arranged under the bait-holder and provided with the catch L, substantially as herein shown and described.

5. An animaltrap made with a floor, A, open at a, and av counterweighted tip-board, B, and trip-block G, pivoted therein, and having a latch, I, and catch L, respectively, and adapted to stop level with the floor. substantially as specified, and said latch held to the tip-board, so as to be adjustable relatively to the notch in the trip-block catch, substantially as herein set forth.

6. An animal-trap made with a floor, A, open at a, a tip-board, B, and trip-block O, pivoted therein, and provided, respectively, with a latch, I, and catch L, and adapted to stop level with the floor, substantially as specified, and said trip-block having an inclined bottom face, 0 against which the latch I may strike to assist the block to normal level position, substantially as herein set forth.

JOHN TAYLOR MOXLEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. DECKER, JEROME E. TURNER. 

